Nine years after his retirement, thousands lined up at stores across the country to shell out id=mce_marker80 for the black and white Jordans -- named for Michael Jordan, who carried the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s -- that went on sale at midnight Thursday. If you know Nike, or if you just watched the news over the Christmas weekend, then you know there was a little craziness surrounding the release of the new Nike Air Jordan. There were long lines in Houston with pushing and short tempers, and violence erupted at shoe stores across the country as people tried to purchase Nike’s new retro Air Jordan sneakers, released just in time for Christmas. It’s a riot featuring stampedes, gunfire, fisticuffs, smashed property, smushed customers and police having to keep idiots from killing themselves. “We are extremely concerned to hear of the reported crowd incidents around the launch of the Air Jordans XI at some select retail locations,” said a Nike statement. “Consumer safety and security is of paramount importance. We encourage anyone wishing to purchase our product to do so in a respectful and safe manner.” Within hours of the release of the new design, hundreds of pairs of the shoes were on sale on eBay, some for more than $500. Many of the pairs already had dozens of bidders. Air Jordans bring in an estimated id=mce_marker billion for Nike every year.

Now that it’s 2012, there is a whole new set of challenges ahead for the City of Houston and the City Council. The morning of the inaugural is full of excitement as families of the just elected City Council as well as Mayor Annise Parker are waiting to be sworn in as the new City Council for the next two years. This inaugural was different because of the two additional Council persons of the newly added Districts “J” and “K.” The Hobby Center is filled with friends and families who were invited to witness an event which is an important part of the democratic process. This is the end product of the voting process that demonstrates the peaceful transition of power that has been taking place for the past 147 years. There are dignitaries from all over the country who were invited as guests to take part in this unique ceremony. The Hobby Center has been the place of many grand events and is a fitting venue for this kind of event and was used in the past for an inaugural.

The White House Project will launch its first political leadership development conference of 2012 in Dallas, Texas to encourage women to run for office.

The White House Project (TWHP) announces a non partisan effort to reach out to women in Texas who are interested in running for public office. Go Run is a weekend conferences that demystify the political process, build leadership skills such as public speaking and fundraising, and inspire a richly diverse group of women to consider running for public office.

As we usher in the New Year, we welcome a new class of city legislators. The City of Houston held its Inauguration Ceremony on Tuesday at the Hobby Center to swear in Mayor Annise Parker, City Controller Ronald Green, and the new City Council of 16 members that will represent the City’s newly redistricted map.

The event was emceed by Lisa Foronda, Pastor Remus Wright of the Fountain of Praise delivered the invocation and four-time Grammy Award winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams performed the national anthem and two other musical selections.

Houstonians have had to quickly adjust to the new year, 2012, and are getting back to work, getting the kids back to school and trying to stay true to their various new year’s resolutions. In the midst of these adjustments, Houstonians should be cognizant of the many new state and federal laws that will affect you here in Houston. Many of these laws became effective on January 1, 2012, but others will be enacted throughout the 2012 calendar year. There are a vast number of laws to review, but there are several that we believe are important for the black community to know about.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Police shot and killed an armed eighth-grader in his South Texas middle school hallway on Wednesday.

Brownsville police Detective J.J. Trevino said police received a call at about 8 a.m. that there was someone with a weapon at Cummings Middle School. Police found the 15-year-old student with a handgun in a hallway and shot him, Trevino said.